The next is the transcript of the interview with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Nov. 16, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Good morning to you, Senator.
SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Good morning. Good to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively you could have spent a great a part of the previous yr making an attempt to get laws by means of to increase these Obamacare tax credit score subsidies. Final Sunday, you crossed the aisle. You agreed to reopen the federal government, finish the shutdown with no assured extension, however with a promise to have some type of vote on an ACA invoice of Democrats’ personal selecting. Do you could have consensus amongst Democrats that this must be a vote merely to increase the tax credit as they stand now or are you open to a broader reform of Obamacare?
SEN. SHAHEEN: Effectively from the start of this shutdown I’ve had two targets. One is to get authorities up and working once more to finish the struggling that too many Individuals had been experiencing as a result of they misplaced meals help or they weren’t getting paid federal staff, and the second was to deal with the excessive value of premium- medical insurance that persons are as a result of insurance coverage corporations are setting charges primarily based on the truth that these premium tax credit are not- are speculated to go away on the finish of this yr. I believe folks at the moment are very conscious of the very fact that they’re going to see enormous charge will increase double for thus many individuals, and an unaffordable value of medical insurance if these premium tax credit go away. And what I believe we have to do, and these are conversations that we have to have, is we have to work with our Republican colleagues to try to get a invoice that may be supported. That may get by means of each homes of Congress the place we have been speaking to our Republicans, Senator Cassidy, all through the shutdown, about what we’d have the ability to comply with. We have been speaking to Home members on either side of the aisle, and so now we have to work collectively. I agree with Senator Cassidy. This ought to be a invoice that’s not partisan, nevertheless it ought to be a invoice to increase these premium tax credit, as a result of, as everyone has talked about, there may be actual urgency to get this accomplished. And if we do not handle it, then persons are going to see enormous charge will increase. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yeah. —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — So we are able to work collectively, we are able to lengthen the credit, however we in all probability cannot implement vital reforms that Senator Cassidy was speaking about in the timeframe that we have got. So we have to look each within the brief time period and in the long run for a way we handle the price of well being care.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, in order that’s an vital level. So the 26 billion or in order that he talks about as the price for extension of those that he desires to redirect into these money accounts, these versatile accounts. You are saying you’ll be able to’t get that accomplished in six weeks time.
SEN. SHAHEEN: No, you’ll be able to’t. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Okay. —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — And once more, there’s actual urgency to do that. There’s some good, bipartisan laws that has come out of committee within the Senate that I believe we should always take up. Issues that might expedite approval of generic medication and biosimilars, that might handle PBM reform, which is a large value enhance for well being care, however that is a long run situation. Proper now, we have to handle what persons are going through when it comes to these excessive charge will increase due to the menace that these premium tax credit are going to finish.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Simply to place a tremendous level on it, once we heard the Congressman on the prime of this system speak about, you realize, caps on revenue and restrictions on who can profit from these tax credit. Are you able to get your fellow Democrats, who, by the best way, are fairly offended at one another, offended at you as nicely, about this resolution to reopen the federal government? Are you able to get everybody on board? Or are you able to a minimum of get to 60 votes to have the ability to lengthen these subsidies with tweaks?
SEN. SHAHEEN: Effectively, initially, we have to put the shutdown behind us within the round firing squad and bear in mind why we’re on this scenario. We’re on this scenario as a result of Donald Trump and Speaker Johnson and the Republican majorities within the Home and Senate have refused to deal with value, the price of well being care, and try to throw folks off their well being care. Can we get to consensus? Effectively, we have to, if we will get a bipartisan invoice out of the Congress. I believe we have seen and heard from medical insurance corporations that implementing vital modifications within the first yr goes to be actually tough to do, nearly unattainable. However we ought to have the ability to agree on some modifications like capping the revenue of people that obtain these premium tax credit. Proper now, 94% of people that get the credit earn below $200,000 a yr, and the typical revenue for a single recipient is about somewhat over $30,000 a yr. So most people who find themselves getting these tax credit usually are not in that top revenue stage —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yeah. —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — And so we should always have the ability to agree on that. We should always have the ability to agree that we do not need any fraud and abuse in this system. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Proper. —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — That is one thing Republicans and Democrats imagine in. So let’s concentrate on what we are able to comply with. Let us take a look at what we are able to get accomplished in the timeframe we now have, and acknowledge there may be actual urgency to get these premium tax credit prolonged.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you are going to have this vote across the second week of December, however premiums are already notified out. They’re already —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — Proper. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — type of baked in right here for- actually for Individuals who purchase authorities well being care. Is it too late to increase open enrollment? I imply, Senator Cassidy was saying like ship has sailed right here.
SEN. SHAHEEN: No, we may truly resolve that we had been prepared as a part of this laws to increase open enrollment. Clearly, we want assist from the administration, however insurance coverage corporations, in assembly with the insurance coverage business, they’ve indicated that whereas it might be tough, they might handle a few of the challenges round not getting settlement till December. Once more, that is why there’s urgency to get this accomplished.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I need to ask you about one other matter. Survivors of convicted youngster intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, in addition to a few of the households of these survivors, wrote a letter to lawmakers supporting the discharge of Justice Division inside communications in regard to his case. In that letter, they mentioned there was no center floor right here. There was no hiding behind occasion affiliation. We’ll bear in mind your resolution on the poll field. You understand, this Home vote is ready to return up this week. Ought to there be a vote within the Senate? And would you assist it, to see the discharge of those paperwork?
SEN. SHAHEEN: Completely. We have to launch the paperwork. The American folks have to see what’s in them. And if President Trump says there’s nothing there that he is involved about, then why would not he assist launch of the paperwork?
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, we’ll see if the Republican chief within the Senate takes up your proposal there. There has not been a dedication to have that type of vote. However on Venezuela, since you might be rating member on Senate Overseas Relations, I need to ensure I ask you, the President mentioned he has type of made up his thoughts on what to do about Venezuela. You had been one of many only a few senators who’ve obtained briefings throughout the previous few weeks from Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth relating to the strikes which can be being carried out on these small, fast-paced boats. Is there a transparent finish recreation right here and is your understanding that ousting Nicolas Maduro from energy is a part of the administration’s plan?
SEN. SHAHEEN: I do not assume it is clear what the top recreation is for this administration with respect to Venezuela. They’re counting on a authorized opinion, excuse me, when it comes to the boat strikes that they haven’t launched. They’ve lastly made it out there to members of Congress, however they have not launched it to the general public. They’re escalating in a approach that speaking a couple of land strike by means of particular operations that places in danger our women and men within the navy. We have now a lot firepower now within the Caribbean, the Gerald R. Ford has been taken from the Pink Sea, in order that now we haven’t any firepower, actually, within the Center East as we have a look at the threats there. We do not have what we want, I believe, within the Indo-Pacific or in Europe. And so what the President has accomplished right here is to place in danger different components of the world and Individuals in different components of the world for this fascination on making an attempt to do away with Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, who clearly is —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yeah. —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — a foul character. He is been concerned in drug —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yeah. —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — unlawful medication. However he isn’t a menace to the USA of America. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Okay. —
SEN. SHAHEEN: — And what the President is doing is elevating actual questions.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Shaheen, thanks in your time this morning. We’ll be again in a second.
